When it comes to being easy on the eye, this Edwards V is hard to beat and that was a large part of why I took a gamble on this one from the U-box. There’s something evocative about the V shape and the 58 design, in particular, is a favourite of mine. Edwards guitars are generally put assembled, I believe, in China, with the electronics and finishing touches done by ESP in Japan. They use quality parts, such as those found on this one: SD pickups, Tonepros bridge and Sperzel locking tuners. It needed minor fretwork and a setup when it arrived and is a very nice piece of equipment. The neck pickup tone, in particular, is as good as anything I’ve played. It’s light, balances well and the chunky neck suits my hands, really a very nice guitar to play. There’s a lot of tonal flexibility. Although not a very high output package, it has enough to deliver a satisfying chug if needed.

After a couple of years, I eased this one on out the door to raise funds for a Bacchus purchase and instantly regretted the decision. Several years later, I saw it for sale again at an absurdly low price, but not before several other people had seen it first and were ahead of me in the queue. Coincidentally, I had been lamenting the decision to sell with friends just a few days before seeing the ad and was suitably distraught. However, realising the pricing error he had made, the seller weaseled out of his sale and immediately relisted it at a higher price, much to the annoyance of the prospective buyers. Everyone took umbrage, except for me, and I bought it back at a price still handsomely lower than that at which I had originally sold it. It had a few more knocks but the fundamental playability and tone were still there, as well as that fantastic top. It remains the only guitar I’ve ever even tried to get back. All in all a superb guitar for the money and one which still gets a lot of use.